Automatic bagging or packing or bag forming machines incorporated in the checkout counters of supermarkets and the like are known, as for example disclosed in commonly-owned Italian Patent No. 1,203,342. Such machines are operable for on-demand bagging of customer purchased articles in machine-formed handled bags in the case of some machines, and in machine-formed fully-closed or sealed bags in the case of others. Although customers generally prefer the use of well known handle-incorporating bags for accommodating their purchases, in many cases they prefer that the, or at least some of the, purchased articles be packed in fully closed bags.
Because known automatic bagging machines can return, to the customer, the purchased goods in either closed bags, or handled bags, but not both, supermarkets and the like are constrained to make both types of bagging machines available to their customers. This requires a considerable investment by the supermarket for purchasing one or more of each of the various types of bagging machines, necessitates increased maintenance costs for servicing several different types of such machines, and wastes valuable retail space for the installation and accommodation of both types of machines. In addition, customers who wish some of their purchased articles to be packed in handled bags and others in closed bags must proceed through the checkout process twice, once using one type of bagging machine and again using the other.